In recent years, a technique called streaming has been developed as a broadcasting technique in the Internet and Intranets. When this streaming technique is utilized, it is not necessary to download all data from a server to a client in order to reproduce contents of images and sound. A client can reproduce images and sound while receiving data from the server.
As protocols of the streaming, there have been generally used RTSP (real-time streaming protocol), RTCP (real-time transport control protocol), and RTP (real-time transport protocol). When these protocols are utilized, it becomes possible to feed back request actions of a client to a server. Therefore, it is usually possible to provide a client with functions of a reproduction, a stopping, a fast forwarding, and a rewinding of video contents.
In general, video contents that are distributed from a server to a client are edited with a video editing system. The contents are edited to meet an object of the contents, by manually connecting various scenes and short scenes of moving pictures that have been picked up with a camera.
The video contents that have been prepared in this way are distributed from the broadcasting side (the server) to clients (users) in time series, usually under the environments of ground-wave broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, cable television (CATV), and the Internet.
However, in order to provide information contents that meet various preferences of individuals, it is necessary to prepare many contents. This has a problem in that the communication cost to prepare and distribute the contents becomes very expensive.
On the other hand, each user must read many information contents from among a large number of contents, in order to select information contents in which the user has interest. Therefore, this has a problem in that it takes excessive time and work for the selection.
As explained above, conventional systems have had various problems. As a result, these conventional systems have been very inconvenient and inefficient both for the readers and providers of the contents.